Walking The Beat

JOB'S FRIENDS, OUR FRIENDS, AND THE NEW COVENANT

I read and re-read Job. It is Old Testament poetry at its finest and as such finds its conclusion not in the story itself, but in the new covenant in the New Testament.

When one looks at the speeches of the friends, one can easily parallel them with some from our time. One can see a paradigm of existentialism, legalism, and spiritualism in them. I haven't really got Bildad nailed down yet, but the others do fit the three categories listed.

So what of Job? What of us? Into our lives often come people with existential, legalistic, and hyper-spiritual responses. Let's say something bad happens to you through no fault of your own.

Here comes the legalist (no, these are not in order of the characters - hey, you've got to be willing to do some digging on your own) who just knows you sinned. After all, nothing bad happens to people unless they have sinned. God would not do that or allow that to a "righteous" person.

Then there is the existentialist - always sharing from the base of his/her experience. I hear it in one who referenced a past position to almost every conversation. In fact, some of us used to put down minutes as to how far the conversation would proceed before we heard, "now when I was at....". Your current situation is always laid beside their experience. They live backward.

Last is the "Spiritualist" - "Brother, you just need to get right with God." No know-it-all like a spiritual one, is there?

Job is called upon by God to pray for these people. They were not really speaking for God. They were speaking for themselves and the worst deception of all had occurred: they thought they were speaking for God.

Human nature does not change. But at this point in the history of salvation, Christ and the New Covenant were yet to come. We live of the "after" side of the coming of Christ and the New Covenant.

So we learn in the NT that some do indeed suffer unjustly. Some suffer for Christ. Others "fill up what remains" in the suffering of Christ for the sake of the church. The references are many but the blog post is not a concordance. What shall we say?

Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 1:3-11 and the following few chapters words of wisdom regarding suffering and reconciliation. These are for our instruction. The inspired writings of Job are an example to us (1 Cor. 10). But here (2 Cor. 1-5) is how we are to "do life".

God comforts us in our affliction. One of the reasons is that we may offer comfort to others who are afflicted. Encouragement is a huge ministry to the hurting, regardless of the reason for the hurt.

We are cautioned in 1 Cor. 4:5 to not judge anything prematurely. Leave it in the hands of God.

Although human nature has not changed, ours has. For each of us who have embraced Jesus and believe in sufficiency of Scripture, there is purpose in any suffering. The level of the injury may indeed determine the length of the trial, etc., but by the grace of God we are comforted, and in our comfort, may indeed comfort others.

An immediate application is ministers who have experienced forced termination. Are you "beyond it"? There is help. And when you heal, and your family heals (and you will if you so choose), then God will use you to mentor and minister to others. Some you will never know. Your mentoring may be preventative. Others you will walk through the same valley again, only this time you will be the human comforter.

Job's friends are still with us. But thank God we live on this side of the Cross!!

GRACE RECEIVED, GRACE GIVEN

At what point do you make significant changes in your life? And why?

The past few years have been years of learning lessons I would have preferred to learn in other ways. Actually, I would love to have a read a book on it or attended a seminar. But, alas, it came another way. And it has all been God's grace.

Cheryl and I have had to do some things we would not have chosen. In so doing, we have learned that God's provision is not always the elimination of struggle nor is it always to provide after something happens. Sometimes his provision is in advance. It has been so with us. In the process I learned in my heart what I knew in my head. God is sovereign (there's a lot more to that term than election) and everything I possess is from him and belongs to him. I have added to my prayer life a prayer for wisdom to know how to steward the resources God gives.

The nature of the ministry God has given me requires travel. I have been in many, many congregations in my ministry. I have noticed an obvious difference in the lives and attitudes of people in those congregations. You can see it in the hallway and hear it in the conversations.

Let's take this beyond salvation. We as people who follow Christ understand that our salvation is by the grace of God. No true Christian believes their salvation is earned. But let's take it to receiving God's grace after some type of failure.

Failure can be in many arenas. The most obvious is when one fails in sin. There is forgiveness and restoration. Another arena is when one fails in an effort. This is not sin. It is simply a failure. But very often God's grace brings solace, lessons learned, and another opportunity.

Here is the observable difference. The experience of grace becomes the talking points of the recipient. Somewhere in the conversation is a heartfelt and obvious gratitude for the grace of God. Sometimes that is in another chance, sometimes in forgiveness. But the person is settled, at peace, and Christ-focused.

Those who know about grace but have not really internalized that they need grace will mention it and give the obligatory tip of the hat. Then they are off to other things.

The friendliest people in church are those who live in God's grace. The most hateful and arrogant are those who live in their own works.

Some years ago I read that all the religions of the world can be summarized in two words: "Do" and "Done". This is indeed a simple understanding, but nonetheless accurate. We trust a risen Christ whose work of redemption on our behalf is finished and we enter that salvation and life by trusting him.

Those of us who have received God's grace should live and extend that grace. Freely we have received. May we freely give.

 

I LIVE WITH A PROPHETESS!! SHE CALLED IT! :)

This morning as Cheryl and I were watching the news, I asked, "Did you ever think we would live to see our nation elect an African-American as President?" She said, "Yes, four years ago." And I remembered. We typically watch both political party's major speeches during their conventions. When she heard Barack Obama's speech, she said, "That man will be President one day." And he is to be inaugurated as such January 20, 2009.

That this is a historical moment is perhaps an understatement. Although I am more conservative than Mr. Obama in both politics and theology, I am very grateful to see enough of our nation overcome racial divides sufficient to elect a non-Anglo to the highest office in the land. I remember when my southern high school integrated. Our school was able to do so without any violence. I cherish that heritage and also this historical moment.

Being the independent thinker that I am (I don't claim to be one of genius intelligence; I just reserve the right to do my own thinking rather than let others do it for me) often gets me in trouble, especially among those who live their lives in fear or who are in a contest to be the fourth person of the Trinity. But for others, they accept me as the human follower of Jesus that I am and we can have great dialog.

As a Christian it is my privilege and responsibility to pray for whoever occupies the civil leadership of our nation. We in the United States have the right of appeal as free citizens. We Christians should be able to give a reason for our beliefs. Therefore the exercise of good citizenship is expected. However, we must be people of truth and reject lies and disparaging innuendo against those who do not share our beliefs or opinions. We are to be Christian in every sense of the word. That means we pray for all and protest only with truth. Mr. Obama gives testimony of being a follower of Jesus. He is a brother and only Jesus can judge otherwise. So don't fall into the trap of those with agendas who would use Christians as fodder for their own agenda. Read, think, pray. "The king's heart is in the hands of the Lord"(Prov. 21:1, NIV).

But back to the "prophetess". How do you function in your marriage? We are committed to the sufficiency and truth of the Scriptures. I do use the word "inerrant" (Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy) to describe the nature of Holy Scripture. This is a double-edged sword for those who believe the Bible. One is that where Scripture speaks, it is authoritative and if we are serious, we should seek to obey. The other side of that is where Scripture does not speak, we should not attempt to make our cultural and religious opinions authoritative. Here there is freedom. Deuteronomy 29:29, (ESV) is helpful: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

A good marriage is always a work in progress. Two people, usually different personalities and often different backgrounds fall in love. They are typically young and the body has yet to "backslide". Their dreams are ahead of them. They can make love all night, not realizing that what they can do all night will one day take all night! But there are some things they haven't done.

They likely have not considered the biological family of their intended spouse and asked the question: "Will he or she be like that when they are that age?" They have not looked at the behavioral patterns, sin patterns, the strengths and weaknesses, or the disease and dysfunctions that are patterns in the biological family of their intended. They honestly believe they will be "different". They have their own dreams, so they begin.

But life often comes from our blind sides. Ahhh, those tests. Those unexpected "worse" parts of our wedding vows. The biology kicks in and despite our best efforts we begin to exhibit some undesirable traits of our heritage and genes. Do you remember the first time you heard yourself saying something to your children or spouse that your parents used to say and you swore an oath that you would never say that? Or the first time you looked in the mirror and then looked away?  :)

One has some options at these points. Although not at all God's desire, it is too easy in this country to simply walk away for less than biblical reasons. I am referring to choosing the path of least resistance when the challenges come. This is sometimes encouraged by culture, friends and family. It is often a regrettable decision and carries it's own baggage. But some do choose this option.

Another option is to buy into the "role" legalism. We speak a lot in marriage about role. But it isn't a biblical word. It is one of those "opinion" rules. In fact, it is not even used in the NIV, KJV, or ESV. It is used twice in the NLT and neither refer to the family. Role can be a helpful word. It can be a reminder of certain responsibilities each of us have. But if used as a scorecard, it is not helpful in a marriage relationship and is often the parent of resentment. Almost every scorecard keeps a record of errors, and I Corinthians 13:6 reminds us that love "keeps no record of being wronged" (NLT).

I believe a better way is to use the word relationship. We are not in a perfect world and it is likely a good thing that when young and in love we do not analyze everything in one another's biological family. Who would survive such critique?

The word "relationship" is a biblical word and is used in various translations in both the Old and New Testaments. It is used in some passages in the context of family. I believe the translators have been wise at this point. Marriage is a relationship. Relationships have the possibility for growth as well as for failure. Relationship has responsibilities and requires sacrifice. Relationships cannot exist in a vacuum. One must give of himself or herself in order to achieve a successful relationship.

The years have given Cheryl and I some great joys and we anticipate more. We have had some pretty tough knocks as well. We have learned from them. And I have grown from the "Role" emphasis of marriage to the "relationship" emphasis. In that relationship we see all of the components of a biblical marriage. And it is good and growing. And although I am the outspoken one, I have found in her soft words wisdom. Is this not a part of being in the image of God and "one flesh"?

My encouragement to you going through difficulty is this. Don't give up to any except God. Today is NOT tomorrow and God will carry your through. Respect one another enough to fail with them. Some of the greatest of our history experienced many failures prior to achieving their life's success. Abraham Lincoln is just one example. Moses is another. John Mark another. So was Simon Peter. I affectionately refer to him as "Peter the Cable Guy". He was somewhat of a Galilean "redneck".

God will honor you and bring you through. I do like the old spiritual, "I'm goin' through, yes I'm goin' through. I've started in Jesus, and I'm going through." May all of us go through together!!

THRIVING IN A TIME OF SURVIVAL

I purchased Tim Keller's new book, The Prodigal God, which is based upon what is normally referred to as the parable of the prodigal son. Keller uses the term "prodigal" as an adjective to describe God because the word means (1.) recklessly extravagant and (2.) having spent everything.

I am two-thirds through the book. Recently I made a statement to my wife that it had been far too long since I had heard a sermon or read anything that simply gripped my heart. I hear and read good stuff, but sense little if any anointing of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit's conviction.

Not so any longer. Yesterday as I read Keller's book, I found myself leaving my favorite coffee shop to find a place of privacy for meditation. For the first time in a long time, the tears were not tears of grief. They were tears of joy for what God was doing in my heart through this wonderful book.

I have read other blogs that comment on this book. The ones I have read seem to quote the same quote regarding the church. That isn't what captured me. I was captured by Keller's exposition of the elder brother. Too often, I have had similar attitudes. God is gracious to allow one to see himself/herself in the pages of Scripture.

The stocks continue to tank. The election of Obama has not halted the global slide. Pessimism and fear are prevailing attitudes.

I am reading through the "sin lists" of the New Testament. In Romans 1 the wrath of God is revealed against all the godlessness of human beings who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness. God has revealed himself and people suppress the truth by their wickedness. Three times in the remainder of the chapter it is said that "God gave them over to their sinful desires".

This chapter discusses sexual sin. But in the downward progression of wickedness that suppresses the truth of God, Romans 1:29-32 also includes envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanders, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventing ways of doing evil, disobedience to parents, no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy, and they continue to do all of these knowing God's righteous decree and even approve others who practice the same. These are discussed in the same context as sexual sin and perversion.

The saddest of all is that God Himself gives people over to their favorite brand of sin when they suppress His truth. Romans 2:1 tells us we have no excuse when we judge others because in so doing, we are condemning ourselves. Now that is sobering.

Keller points out that lostness can be the extreme of the younger son who demonstrated his rebellion against the Father through his own desire for self-discovery or that of the older son who demonstrated his rebellion against the Father through a moral conformity that tried to control the Father. Either way, neither of the sons knew the Father's heart.

The root sin in Romans 1 is the suppression of God's revelation (truth) of Himself which leads to exchanging his truth for a lie. When one does that, one begins to live a lie.

Dependence upon the creations of man will not allow one to thrive when others are trying to survive. I have no crystal ball. I do not know what the stock market will continue to do nor do I know what the next four years of an Obama presidency will bring. But I know this. So long as the people of God trust their own devices and creations, we suppress the truth of God in our unrighteousness and God will give us over to our own desires. And they will destroy the very things we built.

Do you have an elder brother spirit? Keller characterizes the spirit of the elder brother as (1.) being angry and bitter when life doesn't go as you want; (2.) one who has a strong sense of his own moral superiority; (3.) one who has a joyless, fear-based obedience; and (4.) a lack of assurance of the Father's love.

To fully grasp the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is to grasp the love and acceptance of God in Christ and to live one's life out of the perspective of grace. Paul gave a laundry list of sinners in 1 Cor. 6:9-10. He then says "And this what some of you were" (1 Cor. 6:11). These were people who knew they needed grace and they not only received His grace in Christ, but lived out of that relationship. Little wonder the Apostle almost blurted out (Gal. 6:14), "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ...".

God's grace and God's kingdom are more than reciting a prayer that gets you "in". In fact, if that is all one has done, that one may not even be "in". Far too often ministry is more about ourselves than God.

Are religious institutions created for God? Or are they created for ourselves?

I once heard Leighton Ford tell of meeting Mother Teresa. He observed her ministry among the diseased and dying in the poorest district of Calcutta, India. He asked her, "How do you do it?" Mother Teresa replied, "We do our work with Christ, for Christ, and to Christ."

When this becomes the heart motive of we who profess Christ, I believe we will experience one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in history.

P.S. added: Regarding the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, Mart De Haan has an excellent post here.

 

HOW FAR WILL YOU BEND TO PLEASE OTHERS?

Do you have friends who seem to live to please others? I am not talking about basic manners and friendly relationships. I am speaking of those who will take extra-ordinary means to make sure they please someone else. And could we bring it a step closer home? Do you live to please others?

Most likely we have all been there at one time or another. Just how far does one bend to "please" someone else? Often people please in order to be accepted into someone else's bucket or silo. It is like being chosen for a school yard game. Nobody wants to be chosen last. But buckets and silos are designed to protect the interest of those controlling them and those allowed in the buckets and silos are often their "own kind" or those who will compromise something valuable in order to get in. They serve no eternal value.

I have blogged on "Patio Church". Wonderful place. This past Saturday I was reading through the book of Acts on the patio while my wife was reading Oswald Chambers.

It is amazing how wonderful the Word of God really is. Charles Spurgeon was speaking of commentaries when he was quoted as saying, "The Bible sheds a lot of light on the commentaries." I would like to apply his quote to the church: the Bible sheds a lot of light on the church today.

I read something that was one of those eye opening "I wonder if..." moments that seemed to shed a lot of light on much of contemporary church practice. My wonder lasted barely more than 24 hours. Sunday morning our pastor announced his text for the message. My eyes read the text and a few verses beyond. It was the verses beyond that gave insight to my "wondering" of the day before.

Remember the context of Acts. In Acts 8 the Gospel moved out of Jerusalem to the Gentile world. In Acts 13 the Antioch church commissioned Paul and Barnabas and sent them out. They went to the Jew first, then to the Gentile. In Acts 15, there was the first church debating the issue of of whether or not the Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved. The conclusion of the Apostles and Elders  is in Acts 15:24-29: "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality" (15:29, NIV).

In Acts 21, Paul is moving toward Jerusalem and ultimately back in Jerusalem. He had previously contended that he was "compelled by the Spirit" to go to Jerusalem although he had been warned of prison and hardship by the Spirit (20:22-24; 21:4, 21:10-11). Was he being obstinate or was the Spirit leading him but warning him as well?

When in Jerusalem, Paul went to see James, the elders, and many of the others in the church. He gave a detailed account of his ministry among the Gentiles. They all praised God. But...

...thousands of Jews had believed and they were zealous for the law. So in order to not offend them and to counter false rumors, the leaders encouraged Paul to join the purification rites of four others and pay their expenses so they could have their head shaved. This, they said, would let everybody know that Paul himself was living in obedience to the law.

He did as suggested. But when the seven days of the purification were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple, stirred up the crowd, accused him falsely, and aroused the whole city. The short of the story is that this mob tried to kill him but the commander of the Roman troops stopped it, arrested him, and ultimately this is how Paul made it to Rome via a Roman prison.

Should Paul have agreed with the Apostles and Elders to submit to law-works? He was only doing it to please them and others. Why didn't the Apostles and Elders call as many of the people together as possible and tell them the rumors about Paul were not true? Why did they not confront untruth on behalf of their friend?

Here is my thought. Leaders often expect others to fall on their sword to protect themselves. How many coaches with losing seasons make changes in their staff one year only to be fired themselves the next? How many people will be thrown under the bus to keep some incompetent in position and how much will be lost as people pleaser's compromise their integrity in order to please someone else and their agenda? Is this leadership? I don't think so.

And it does trickle down. Something is always lost when one leaves grace and truth to submit to legalism in order to please certain people. No matter how "holy" they are, many of them will not only take your freedom in Christ, but they will use you as a stepping stone for themselves. It is your choice how much of this you allow. Make no mistake - when one leaves grace and truth for legalism, a measure of bondage is always the result.

As we stood Sunday to read Scripture, my thoughts were confirmed. When Paul, from a Roman prison, wrote to Titus, "Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These kinds of things are useless and a waste of time" (Titus 3:9, NLT).

Living to please others? If in the sense of good manners, ethics, and a sense of a servant spirit, may we all live in such harmony. But if in the sense of bending grace and truth to fit somebody's defined bucket or silo, perhaps it is time the people of God learned to say "No, I choose grace and truth".